Power Rangers: Factions
by Blue and Away
Summary: Two figures of a lost history have risen to fight for their justice with the power of the Zords. They need mighty Power Rangers to help them on their quest. But, these figures are not in unison, and look to destroy the other. When two teams of Power Rangers collide, who fights for good? Who fights for evil? And why? Heroes, villains, friends, and love all hangs in the balance. SYOR
1. Prelude

Much of history is unknown. Mostly, that's because it is uninteresting. Stories tend to be forgotten when they're not worth remembering. But, one unparalleled legend has long since faded from the details of men's minds. A stranger on the street would laugh at the name Basquille, the Twilight Magician. Your friend may only look bemused if you tried to ask them who Luanne of the Thousands Inventions was. And, rightly so, their stories aren't found in any history book or records of any sort. Though their story is far from monotonous.

In fact, it lacks an ending. They only sleep now, waiting for the next chapter to be written. They wait for just the right cue to enter stage right.

* * *

Within the knotted branches of a great, dying redwood tree sits a round talisman, resting between the collected branches of a bird's growing nest. Buried three feet under a kid's sand castle sits another, covered by time and saltwater. Two football helmets crack against one another at the San Benno high school, stuck deep beneath the field's turf lies another. Dozens of others have found their homes elsewhere.

A city has been built over and around the greatest weapons ever devised. They sleep with the likes of Luanne and Basquille. It won't be until midnight tonight that some begin to wake. The talismans will seek out their bearers. Power Rangers will be born. But, what will they fight for? Why? And who will be worthy?

This is not the beginning of their story. It's only the prelude.

* * *

 **A/N: I apologize for the short chapter. For now, there's very little to be written... for now. This is an SYOR story, so please, visit my profile for all the rules and guidelines. While there isn't much to go over this time around, the story will include review responses, as I really appreciate any criticism you may decide to send towards this story and myself. I urge you to submit a character as soon as you can, as I'm eager to begin work on this story as soon as possible.**

 **As of now, there's no deadline for characters. I will end things when I feel I've received a suitable amount, which will be at least three rangers for each team. I will post updates to availability on my profile.**

 **Thank you for reading, and I hope you'll be here for the next chapter!**


	2. Opening Act! Enter the Rangers!

**San Benno University**

Though Autumn was in full swing, leaves already raining down in pigments orange and auburn, the September day was as hot as ever. The pleasant weather did nothing but make Kitt want to ditch this lecture hall and its stuffy professor. He checked the time on his phone for the umpteenth time that minute. Four o'clock couldn't come soon enough, and he practically counted down the seconds.

With a decisive goodbye, the dozens of young adults were let off their academic leash, and Kitt practically exploded out of his seat for the wide double doors at the back. Just as he was about to conclude his great escape, a man's voice caught him. "Kitt Ashford, yes?"

At his name being announced, he turned back around to see his mortal enemy for the past semester. Dressed in a brown checked dress shirt, cargo pants, boots and that ridiculous navy headband wrapped around his forehead was Glenn Wang. If it weren't for his tone, the short, bespectacled kid could pass for any other student, his muscles well defined and neat black hair. But, that tone, that awful voice this guy spoke in was unbearable for Kitt.

Students swam around Kitt as they left the lecture hall, like water around the lone stone stuck in the flow of the river. "You know it's me, Glenn," Kitt said to the guy, hesitant to walk too far from the hall's exit. "Don't tell me you're finally gonna get friendly with me. I'm not sure I could handle such a dramatic change of pace this far into the semester."

"It's Mr. Wang as long as I'm your TA," Glenn replied. And, if it were up to Glenn, Kitt wouldn't be allowed within thirty yards of any classroom. Every discussion that Glenn oversaw had been interrupted, derailed and thrown off track by this young man's antics. Kitt had a good four inches over Glenn, but that didn't mean he was intimidated by the lanky, freckled kid. Even Kitt's own glasses needed to be as distracting as the boy's shock of orange hair and hazel eyes, as they were thick rimmed, green and white.

"How old are you, guy?" Kitt asked, frustrated that he'd now be the last one to leave class. "Only way you're any older than me is if you have a fake ID. You a big party dog, Mr. Wang?"

Glenn didn't humor his attempted humor with a response, instead handing over a stapled couple of papers. "You forgot to retrieve your essay last discussion, that is all."

"Woah, I didn't sign up for a D+, guy," Kitt complained, stopping Glenn with an outstretched arm.

"Professor Doyle gave you the mark which best reflected your efforts, Mr. Ashford. I remember him saying something about your inability to stick to a single topic throughout the paper. What was it Descartes said about indecision? That it is a 'species of fear,' no?" Glenn hoped the quote may end the interaction.

"What do I care what Guillermo del Toro thinks about my history paper?!"

" _Descartes,_ not del Toro" Glenn corrected with some frustration, "René Descartes, French philosopher, seventeenth century? Do you ever crack open the book or do you just Twitter it?"

Kitt paused, trying to decipher what Glenn meant, "Have you ever even used Twitter, man?"

Before Glenn could reply, an electronic chirp went off in Kitt's pants, interrupting the conversation, and Kitt's hazel eyes went wide with recognition. "Listen, this has been fun as ever, but I gotta jet," he was already starting to run away, "I'll rewrite this bad boy. Just for you, Glenny boy!"

"It's Mr. Wang!" Glenn corrected, calmly shouting as the doors closed behind Kitt. The TA could only shake his head, eager to join the professor in some relaxation and perhaps some violin practice, but he felt a peculiar aura in his pants pocket, glowing with a shining color. It seemed his practice would have to wait for another day.

* * *

 **North San Benno High School**

Eleanora Anderson peered over the top of her paperback, only to find the same empty street she'd seen the last time. At this point, it may have been smarter for the sixteen year old to have just walked. Her high school had rung its last bell almost half an hour ago, yet she was stuck on the steps outside the school.

Normally, such a problem wouldn't be a problem at all. Her book was plenty engrossing after all, an adventure story about some smuggling pirates who get mixed up with some sorcery that's far out of their depth. It was a bit more action then she usually fell for, but it was atmospheric and enchanting, just enough to keep her mind off what the rest of the day held.

The story was so distracting that she didn't notice the handsome high school senior craning his neck to read its spine. The girl swept a lock of her auburn hair loose from its bun away from her glasses. Concluding a chapter, she chanced another glance over the novel, and in an instant, her bright brown eyes met with a pair of light blue ones, locked for a moment in horror.

Blue Eyes realized he'd been caught snooping and stood up, trying to regain his composure. "Sorry!" he immediately said, taking a step towards the girl. Ellie didn't recognize the kid, which wasn't strange for the girl. He looked neat, from his chestnut hair to his jeans, like every part of him had been perfectly cut and brushed and assembled according to some instruction booklet. This was definitely not someone Ellie should be talking with.

She simply retreated behind the pirates and wizards, though she was no longer reading about their misadventures, simply scanning her eyes across the same sentence over and over again.

Scott Dupre felt like he'd yelled at a squirrel and scared it up a tree with how this girl was acting. This certainly wasn't the normal reaction girls his age made towards him. He didn't recognize her, but he did recognize the book. " _Wizard's Galleon,_ right?" he asked. He'd scared the creature up the tree. He felt responsible for bringing her back down to Earth.

"A bit too many fairies and spells for my taste," he continued, "but, I didn't think I'd enjoy magic pirates so much." The girl was cute, even if she didn't quite seem his type. Her cardigan and long knee-length skirt, wasn't quite the style he chased after, but it never hurt to make another friend, especially one with such good taste. "What part are you at? I promise, no spoilers from my lips."

Ellie peeked over the book again, as if unsure if the boy was really still talking to her. If she was a truly lucky girl, he'd have been talking to some other stranger reading the exact same book. But, alas, she wasn't known for her good fortune.

"Th-they just made it through the second checkpoint. That whole trick with the dragon urine and the barrels."

"Ah!" Scott exclaimed in recognition, taking another step closer to the girl, "Too bad they don't figure out that it's flammable until it's too late…" he said.

He looked over, and the girl was practically heartbroken, but the book had fallen all the way down to her lap. "Wait, wait, I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I promised no spoilers, didn't I?"

Ellie sighed in relief, laughing at herself just a bit. "I was really worried."

Scott laughed at the girl's frown, "I didn't realize it was such sacred territory, I'll remember it's off limits."

"Why would you need to do that?"

"I don't know, we both go to the same school, don't we? It's not so outlandish that this is the only the time we ever talk."

Before Ellie could respond to such a horrific idea, a car horn blared from the street, ending their conversation. Two pairs of eyes turned to see a beater of a car parked just a few yards off the stairs, with a young guy sitting in the driver's seat.

"Ellie! My sweet, sweet daughter! Eleanora! What did I say about boys? You're going to catch something from them, don't you know?!"

Eleanora went red in the face, practically sweating from the blood rush.

"That's your dad?" Scott asked with a laugh, "he doesn't look much older than me."

"That's _not_ my dad," was all Ellie could manage to say.

The car horn blared again, interrupting any possible explanation Ellie might've managed to get out. "Ellie! Hurry! We've got dragons to slay! You don't have time for boys. Besides, human folk we'll never accept us into their civilization!"

"You're not human now?" Scott asked with a laugh, equal parts baffled and amused by the situation.

Ellie couldn't manage an answer this time, she merely snatched up her backpack and walked towards the car before he hit the horn again, "I've gotta go, sorry."

"Oh!" the boy stood up, almost disappointed the scene was coming to an end, "I'll see you around then! My name's Scott, by the way!"

"It'll be on your tombstone if you ever look at my daughter again!" The driver said, pointing towards the boy, who was laughing at the antics, growing more bemused by the moment.

Ellie hopped into the shotgun seat, and the instant she shut the door, Beaumont Maurice Erickson slammed the pedal to the metal, peeling away from the school, and cutting off another car in his swift getaway. The moment they were just out of earshot from Scott, Ellie hit the guy in his arm.

"Hey, you're not supposed to hit the driver! Are you trying to crash us?" he asked, sharply turning, and popping the curb of the sidewalk in his inaccurate driving.

"We're going to crash either way," she lamented. "What was all that, Boomer?"

The guy laughed with a wide smile, making another harsh turn and ignoring a stop sign as he did. He was even shorter than Ellie, with dyed red hair spiking out at every angle, wrapped up in a pair of red biking goggles. His hands spun the wheel wildly, though covered in burns and scars, they moved wildly across the wheel. Each movement cemented the regret Ellie felt when she agreed to getting driven by him.

"You're too good for guys like that," he said, "trust your elders every now and again."

"You're only three years older than me. For the record, you don't make for a very convincing father figure."

"Fine then! I'm disowning you!"

"You-! Aghhh!" Ellie cut herself off from arguing, earning another cackling spurt of laughter from Boomer. "Are we really going to slay a dragon?" she asked, with a surprisingly even tone.

Boomer shrugged, speeding up the car to just barely clear a yellow light through an intersection, "It doesn't sound too impossible considering what we've seen. But, I know as much as you do, rookie. My doohickey starts glowing and I get going."

"We started at the same time, Boomer," Ellie said quietly. She struggled not to argue against the ridiculousness of Boomer's antics.

"Again, I'm your elder, kiddo. Please, pay respects. Give me a blood sacrifice every now and then."

The car finally slowed down below the speed limit to pull into the parking lot behind the San Benno University Library. In fact, the city's university had two libraries. A populated, clean, library at the center of campus, in which just about every student visited when they had a test to cram for, or a paper to finish up in peace and quiet.

But, this library was dusty, only two stories tall and a quarter part museum. It was more like a storage space, where books that were never checked out were laid to rest. Few students ever visited the building, which made it perfect for Boomer and Ellie, who walked through its heavy wooden doors. Ellie waved to the aged librarian, while Boomer made some horrifying face at the woman.

When they were sure she wasn't looking, Boomer stuck an old copper key into a door near the back, opening up to a descending staircase, poorly lit and riddled with cobwebs. Each step creaked and groaned, but their trip to the basement was far less scary than it had been the first time they'd gone down there.

"You two are late," a voice chastised as soon as their footsteps made themselves known.

Before they even saw its owner, Ellie and Boomer both recognized it as their teammate's. "Machiavelli wrote that, 'Tardiness robs us opportunity, and the dispatch of our forces.'"

"Is Machiavelli the best possible role model, Glenn?" Boomer asked, joining the man at a round table littered with maps and strange diagrams in lost languages.

"Save your fighting for the enemies, please," a deep, masculine voice pleaded. At the opposite end of the round table looking over an oval mirror was a very tall, heavily robed older man, with gray facial hair and ashen skin. Much of his body was draped in violet cloth, except for some wrinkled fingers waving over the mirror. "For today, we have many."

"I apologize Basquille," Glenn said, "what seems to be the situation?"

"Your training ends today, my apprentices," Basquille said, picking up the mirror with some invisible force, showing them the image played out on the glass. Instead of their reflection, Ellie, Glenn and Boomer saw in the mirror a strange monster, with a long pointed nose, and fins covering its silvery limbs. It was rampaging across the beach, fighting a pair of police officers who seemed to be no match for the monster.

Glenn was the first to inquire about the scene, "What kind of monster is that? One of your Awakened Zords?"

"The Swordfish Zord belongs to no one at the moment, as you can see," Basquille said with some regret in his voice. "If a Zord's talisman is exposed to too much negative energy, they will awaken on their own, taking on a malignant personality and rampaging about until they're suppressed.

"You all finding your talismans meant they were exposed to positive energy, and your Zords fell under your control," Basquille continued.

"And that's why it's our mission to suppress the Awakened Zords, and collect them," Glenn continued.

"I wonder if the teacher's pet does other tricks too," Boomer whispered to Ellie.

Basquille retrieved the mirror, plucking it from the air. "If it were up to me, your training would extend much further, but the situation demands action. It demands the Spellbook Rangers!"

"Let us at 'em, wizard," Boomer said excitedly. "I've been waiting to morph since day one!"

"Your morphers will warp you near the magical signature of the monster. The rest is up to you!"

Boomer whipped out the trinket. It was a triangle of a material like stone, engraved with dozens of magic runes and markings. In its center was an octagonal talisman, with engravings that resembled the face and tail of a fox. He tapped one of the runes, and it glowed with red energy, "First one there gets first crack at the fish monster!" And with that declaration, he was coated in a field of scarlet energy, before warping through the mirror and towards the San Benno beach.

Glenn rolled his eyes at the immaturity of his teammate, but pulled out his own Mage Former, coated in copper energy, he teleported just behind Boomer, with Ellie not far behind, disappearing with a burst of pink color.

* * *

 **Sheer Face Shore**

Three figures stood on the cliff face, ocean wind blowing through their hair, as they looked down upon the sand and surf. The Swordfish monster tried to scare off a family who were enjoying their picnic, laughing at the fear and despair he had caused with his power.

"I can't wait any longer! Are you guys ready or what?" a girl asked them, her voice moving just as quickly as her heel tapping against the rocky cliff.

"Relax, Olivia," a young man said, "Luanne told us to be careful on our first mission."

"Sorry, Kitt, but I can't be given superpowers and then be told to wait around," she said decisively, pulling a round disk with a glass screen at its center. Less than half an hour ago, it had been beeping like crazy, and Olivia couldn't have been more excited. It was finally going to be her opportunity to become the hero she knew she could be. "You coming along LV?"

LV, or Leo, had been mostly silent since their arrival on the beach. But, now, he pulled out his own Mech Loader, the round device. His action would be his answer. "Data: Bison! Ranger: Load!" He slapped into a slot on the device his Zord talisman, and in a brilliant flash of silver, Leonardo was gone.

"Gearwork Graphite, Fully Operational!"

More adrenaline coursed through Olivia's body than blood, and she followed suit without a moment's hesitation. "Data: Wolf! Ranger: Load!"

Again, the transformation did away with the high school girl, leaving in its place, "Gearwork Blue, Fully Operational!"

Kitt still was a bit lost in his thoughts. But, if his teammates were ready to go, he couldn't just leave them high and dry. Besides, what could they accomplish without him?

"Data: Jaguar! Ranger: Load!"

"Gearwork Green, Fully Operational!"

The trio of kids had been replaced by a team of Power Rangers. Their respective colors made up much of their suits, with the exception of a golden belt that wrapped around their waists, with heavy white boots on their feet. On their chests was a design of half a gear, looking like a sunrise over the horizon, with each helmet sporting the same Zord design was was engraved on their talismans. Instead of a belt buckle, their Mech Loaders flashed with color, and at their right side was a short double-edged sword.

"Gearwork Rangers! Advance!" Olivia shouted, leaping off the cliff with a flamboyant front flip.

"As if you're the leader!" Kitt criticized, leaping off clumsily towards the sand, LV close behind him with a practiced, acrobatic leap.

The Swordfish monster had taken note of the trio at this point, laughing at their approach. "I hoped there would still be Power Rangers in this era!" he announced, "Allow me to submit my formal resignation from you all! I'm done being a weapon for Rangers!"

"You'd rather terrorize civilians?" Kitt asked, "Quite the higher calling you've got there."

The Swordfish laughed again, readying himself for battle, "Rookies would never understand, but I'll make sure your masters get the message loud and clear! Percirado is his own fish!"

LV dashed ahead of his teammates, putting him and his sword in between Percirado and the family behind him. "Please, evacuate as quickly as possible," he advised them. His voice was shockingly calm for how strange the situation was, but the family of four responded to the command, sprinting off the beach.

Olivia entered the fray barehanded, burying her fist into the monster's side and knocking him off balance just enough for LV to push back the monster in their clash of blades.

"Hold that pose!" Kitt declared, leaping off of Olivia's back and somersaulting off the girl to land a slash with his sword on the opposite side of the monster, further detracting from the Awakened Zord's strength.

" **Bison Boost!"** LV announced, and graphite energy swirled around his arms, slowly expanding the muscles underneath his armor, and steadily increasing his strength until he was able to successfully knock the Awakened Zord off his feet and back a ways, sticking into the sand, low tide nipping at his body.

Three bolts of energy appeared by the seawater, far behind the Gearwork Rangers, and were astonished at what they saw. They thought they had been sent as the last line to defend innocent lives against the monster that appeared in San Benno, but, instead, there were other Power Rangers already fighting that very monster.

"Hey what gives?" Boomer complained, "I finally become a superhero and I've gotta share the spotlight with even more glory hounds?"

"I didn't realize I'd have to deal with even more teammates," Glenn remarked, miffed at the situation. "I hate to say it, but Boomer is quite right, two is enough for me."

"No! Rangers!" Basquille's voice shouted. At first, they had no idea where the sound was coming from, but Ellie pointed out the face in the saltwater lapping at the sand. With their attention caught, the Twilight Magician continued, "These are not your allies! They are villainous Rangers! Subjects to the thrall of my twin sister, Luanne!"

"Evil Rangers?" Ellie asked, looking again at the trio, fighting against the monster. "Why would evil rangers be fighting against other evil creatures?"

"Luanne isn't concerned with protecting the innocent! She's merely using her Rangers to collect the Talisman which powers the Awakened Zord! If she gets her hands on the Zord, she'll become even more powerful! We must prevent this at all costs!"

"Does this have something to do with that mysterious chapter in history you spoke of?" Glenn asked skeptically.

The image of Basquille's face in the water nodded, "Your primary task is to keep that talisman out of their hands. You're the only ones who can accomplish this feat, Spellbook Rangers! Destiny chose you three for a reason!"

"Because destiny is one smart cookie," Boomer remarked with a grin, "One fish fillet coming up boss man. Don't you worry, I once saw a documentary about sushi. This'll be a cinch!"

Glenn pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Ellie was relieved that it was someone else's turn to be aggravated by his antics. "As if that skill would translate to this situation. Just follow my lead," Glenn said, pulling out his Mage Former, his talisman engraved with the image of hummingbird.

He tapped three runes, which began to make the morpher glow with Copper light. "Hummingbird Incantation, Cast the Spell!"

Glenn Wang was wrapped up in a powerful light, being replaced with the metallic, shining shape of a ranger. "Spellbook Copper, Summoned Forth!"

"I follow my own lead, punk!" Boomer said, but followed suit in his morphing all the same, "Fox Incantation, Cast the Spell!"

And stepping in front of Glenn, he introduced himself to the world, "Spellbook Red, Summoned Forth!"

Ellie felt like a character in some fairy tale, frightened but excited at what may lay ahead. Magic monsters. Evil rangers. Men's faces in the waves of the ocean! It was all the trappings of some story she was more used to reading than starring in.

But, that didn't mean she couldn't do it, not after she'd come this far. "Owl Incantation, Cast the Spell!"

Rounding out the team, she joined the other two, "Spellbook Pink, Summoned Forth!"

The rangers wore mostly their corresponding colors, with high boots, and slim back belts that sported their Mage Formers at the front. On their chests was the same logo, an open book, with beams of light coming forth from underneath. On the masks of their helmets were the engravings of their Zords, and a short cape covered their right shoulders in black. On their backs was a short scepter they could draw like a weapon. And, Boomer was the first to do just that.

"I'll take the evil rangers and the monster!" The red ranger declared, rushing forward at the front of the team, "you two just keep looking pretty!"

"Oh, looks as if we have company," the monster, Percirado remarked, standing up from the wet sand. "Three rangers wasn't enough for you kids?"

"Did Luanne send reinforcements?" Kitt asked, examining the three charging Rangers. "I didn't think we were doing _that_ badly."

Olivia began to seethe when she saw the oncoming trio, "I can't believe it! That ranger stole my color! I wanted to be red! **Wolves Blitz!"** Her power was accompanied by a swing of her sword, summoning forth a trio of iridescent wolves that began to charge at the oncoming Spellbook Rangers.

"What are those? Guys?" Ellie asked her teammates, clearly worried by the oncoming attack.

Boomer laughed, "Don't you know? They're target practice! **Fox Burst!"** Leveling his staff towards the oncoming wolves, four spheres of vermilion energy were fired off in quick succession, exploding on contact with the blue wolves, destroying both attacks.

"What are you doing?" LV asked with a calm temper. "Why would you attack other Rangers?"

"Luanne told us to keep an eye out for imposters," the blue ranger responded. "They certainly don't look like Gearwork Rangers to me! We don't wear stupid capes!"

"Our capes aren't stupid!" Boomer replied, closing in on the girl with an all out swing of his staff, clashing with the girl's blade in a loud ring. "They're sweet!"

Glenn kept close to Ellie, trying to ignore Boomer's brash actions, "Follow my lead, don't lose focus on the target," he commanded, trying to take charge of what was left of his team.

"Kitt, stop them!"

"They're Power Rangers too!" LV argued.

Kitt was caught in the crossfire between both of his teammates. His sword was drawn, but the Green Ranger was frozen in indecision.

" **Humming Space!"** The Copper Spellbook Ranger cast his ability, and a copper wave of energy was cast over the area in which Kitt was standing. With the time distortion ability, Kitt was now literally frozen in the space, allowing Glenn and Ellie to pass through freely.

The ability only lasted a moment, and when Kitt was freed, he saw the Spellbook Rangers had moved past unabated, and were heading straight for the Swordfish monster.

"C'mon! I'll take on every single one of you! It's death or liberty for me!" Percirado announced, readying himself for battle once again. Glenn stepped forward deftly, thrusting with his scept, only for the move to be parried by the long, thin sword of the Zord's. He countered, slashing forward, for the attack to be blocked by Ellie's own scepter.

Olivia broke off from the clash with the Red Ranger, creating space between them with an agile step, "Don't let them get the Talisman!" she told her teammates.

Kitt had made his decision, at long last. Luanne and Olivia were right, no matter what, it was imperative that they end up with the Talisman.

" **Masked Jaguar!"** the Green Ranger used his ability, and suddenly the green disappeared, as did his entire body. Kitt wielded his stealth well, circling around the battle between monster and ranger, he made a harsh slash across Percirado's back, earning a loud screech of pain from the Awakened Zord. In a fit of rage, his sword flung down, looking to take Glenn's head off with a single motion.

But, interrupting that attack was Leonardo, blocking the sword with his own and saving the Copper Ranger's life.

"Thanks, but, I don't accept the help of villains," Glenn said, and struck the back of LV's leg with his scepter, bringing the Graphite Ranger to his knees.

A bodiless voice cried, "No!" and Glenn felt a sharp pain stomp his chest and fling him away from the battle.

Percirado's next target was the prone LV, bringing his sword across for a quick decapitation. But, the sword found itself blocked by an invisible blade, further aggravating the Awakened Zord.

"You've given yourself away," Ellie scolded, and pressed her hand against where the invisible sword was clearly grinding against Percirado's, " **Owl's Sight!"**

And once the ability was applied, there was no longer any question of where the Green Ranger was for Ellie. Her power allowed her to see from the weapon, as if she'd gifted a pair of eyes to the sword's hilt. As long as she could see from the sword, she'd know where it was, and by correlation, exactly where the Green Ranger was standing.

Olivia blocked another swing of Boomer's staff. The Red Ranger's attacks hadn't been able to land, but she'd hardly been able to get in a single swing of her own, and was stuck on the defensive. There was little coordination in his attacks, but that lack of skill was made up for in the guy's unending tenacity.

"Boomer! Aren't you done yet?" Ellie called out to the guy from her position near the monster, giving the guy a wide grin under his helmet.

"Just about wrapped up here!" he announced, redoubling his offensive efforts, pushing Olivia back with each successive strike.

"You so sure about that, Red? You haven't landed a single hit!"

"I wasn't planning to," Boomer admitted with a chuckle. And, before Olivia could decipher what those words meant, she felt the swing of a scepter clock her in the side. Glenn, again, had struck from behind, though his body was winded, his mind hadn't been slacking off. "I'll take it from here, Copper!"

Boomer sprinted forward, and Ellie jumped back, leaving the Green Ranger alone with Percirado, his invisibility just barely making the matchup even between them.

"You teaming up with your old man?" Boomer joked as the two got close with one another.

Ellie scoffed at the notion, "Let's just finish this battle up," she said confidently.

"Haha, alright then. You know, you're quite the different girl in Pink!"

"Just shut up already!"

The two unequipped their Mage Formers, and Ellie tossed over her Talisman, letting the Red Ranger equip both into his own Former. "Sorcery Fusion! Double Soul!" At those words, his Mage Former glowed with a striped red and pink energy, sparking and crackling with energy.

" **Seeker Burst!"** Combining Owl's Sight and Fox Burst, half a dozen red and pink spheres or energy were launched into the air before locking onto their target, as if the energy attacks had eyes of their own. The spheres then dove down onto Percirado and the Green Ranger, detonating in the space between them to knock both onto their backs.

"Oh yeah!" Boomer celebrated, "That's how the Spellbook Rangers get it done, chumps!"

Percirado struggled to get to his feet, looking to crawl back into the seawater. He'd realized now hout outclassed he was by these six Power Rangers.

"The talisman," Ellie pointed out. And, she led the charge towards the monster, making sure they would secure the objective of the mission for Basquille. For a first mission, things were going positively swimmingly.

Olivia and LV ran over to check on Kitt, who was standing back up from the attack, though he'd been rattled so hard, his invisibility had been shattered. "It was a bad idea, attacking other Power Rangers," LV pointed out.

"It was a bad idea attacking them when we weren't working as a team," Olivia corrected. "But, there's still time to change that." She eyed her other teammates to see if they were on the same page, and both nodded in agreement.

"I'm ready to dish it out for once," Kitt said, standing up fully, shoulder to shoulder with his teammates. "Ready, slowpokes?"

"You were the one who got knocked onto your ass," Olivia said with a smirk hidden by her helmet. She retrieved her Mech Loader from her belt. "I think I'll be taking the lead on this one, boys."

"Data: Eject!" both Kitt and LV said, pressing the screen on their Mech Loaders to retrieve their talismans.

Both handed over their octagonal coins, and she inserted them into her own Mech Loader, "Auxiliary Data: Load! Polymerization!"

The Mech Loader's screen flashed the engravings of all three Zords, and when Olivia pressed down on the screen, it alternated the colors, Graphite, Green and Blue. " **Projector: Perfect Predator!"**

At the technique being cast, a single wolf of blue energy was created. Graphite streams of energy then flooded the wolf, increasing its size and aggression, before a green stream of energy was cast over the beast, which perfectly camouflaged it against the beast's surroundings. "Charge!" Olivia commanded, and the beast launched forward, tossing up sand as its paws carried it across the beach.

Ellie and Boomer were poised to finish off the monster when they heard the Gearwork Rangers at work behind them. The two of them had no defense at all against the oncoming attack, and were thrown aside like ragdolls by the invisible, supremely strong beast. With the pair cast aside, Percirado saw his opportunity for escape, and threw himself into the surf, diving underneath the water to escape the six rangers.

"He got away!" Olivia complained.

LV reached out to take back his talisman, "There's nothing more for us to do here. We should leave."

"Do you not see the three villains laying on the sand?" Olivia asked.

The Graphite Ranger shook his head and turned his back on the Spellbook Rangers, "We don't even know if they're our enemies. We should first speak with Luanne."

"Kitt? You're with him?"

The Green Ranger wasn't entirely sure. But, he did know Luanne was the one thing they could probably trust. "We should talk with her, if she says they're our enemies, then we can just beat them next time like we did here. Not like there's any rush."

"No, let's just leave the supervillains some time to recover," Olivia said, disappointed in her teammates convictions. "Fine, let's go then."

The Blue Ranger joined her teammates, and they all reached for their Mech Loaders. "Departure!" They announced together, activating their instant transmission from the beach back to the base.

Ellie was laying perfectly still in the wet sand when she heard the Gearwork Rangers make their exit. She reached down to her Mage Former, deactivating the morpher, and releasing the girl from her pink armor.

Interrupting her view of the clouds was Boomer's wild hair and head. "Glenn! I think we're gonna need a new Pink Ranger!"

"I'm fine," Ellie said meekly, sitting up and trying fruitlessly to brush the sand out of her hair. "Did we lose?"

Boomer laughed like a madman, tapping his own morpher to power down his red armor. "Yep! But, that just means we're gonna get another chance to win!"

Glenn walked towards them both, rubbing his black hair uncomfortably, and glancing over his teammates. Ellie simply took a deep breath, staring down at her morpher and talisman.

"Can't wait."

* * *

 **Character Credits:**

Kitt Ashford - _Ahkalia_

Glenn Wang - _AndreasJ_

Scott Dupre - _Sir Perfluous_

Beaumont "Boomer" Maurice Erickson - _101romansoldier_

Leonardo "LV" Valerio - _fantastic rhapsody_

Olivia White _\- Arctic4Queen_

Eleanora "Ellie" Anderson _\- keybladeauraofpie_

Please let me know how I did in portraying your character. I want to make sure any problems are squashed right from the gate.

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! The seven you just met were the first of the accepted characters. I'm still accepting characters, so feel to check my profile if you're interested. I appreciate all the feedback and interest in the story I've received so far. This chapter was crazy fun to write, which is probably why it went so quickly. But, please, let me know what you thought of it too!

 **Review Responses:** These will be a standard thing I'll do every chapter. I do them so you all know that your feedback is being heard and appreciated. I take every review very seriously.

 _Sir Perfluous:_ It has been a long while, hasn't it? Hopefully this chapter answered your questions, in that there isn't a clear cut good or evil team. But, all your questions will be answered as time goes on, none of those details have been overlooked. I pinky swear. Though, I do admit that first chapter didn't give much to go on.

 _Keybladeauraofpie:_ Hope I did right by Ellie this time around!

 _fantastic rhapsody:_ Glad the story caught your eye. Hope this chapter cleared up who exactly will be the enemy of the story.

 _decode9:_ Not quite a civil war, I suppose (not yet, at least). But, the idea of teams of rangers was definitely the biggest inspiration for getting this story underway.

 _Arctic4Queen:_ Hope this chapter managed to keep that excitement going! I'm very happy the concept was so well-received.

 _AndreasJ:_ I'm almost disappointed the '18 series is so similar! I thought I'd struck upon a strong core idea. I'll be interested to see how they handle the same premise.

 _Ranger Red 2.3:_ It's very good to be back. I like to think Factions will be a fitting return for me.


	3. Making Tracks!

**San Benno Observatory**

"To be precise. There are two sides to the Power Rangers. Just like the Zords themselves, though I intended for them to be creations that would protect the world, and preserve peace, purpose was tainted by my brother, Basquille, and his wicked magic."

The Sun had only recently risen into the sky over San Benno. Amid crushed cardboard boxes, shabby blackboards and glasses were three young figures, listening to Luanne as she continued her explanation from the day prior.

"Gunpowder was first invented by the Chinese," the woman said. "But, it's only called such a thing because that's what some men saw in the invention. A man saw an explosion and envisioned the destruction of his enemies. Another man saw the same explosion and pictured beautiful colors streaming across the sky." Luanne paused to see if her words were breaking through to her young protégés.

She stood from her seat. The woman wore a long, flowing white coat, with a gray mask covering her aged face, and fingerless gloves covering calloused hands, with ashen, pale blue digits extended from the cloth. "Technology reveals a person's true nature. I firmly believe that you three, you see fireworks.

"But, these Spellbook Rangers, as you called them, if they are disciples of my brothers, they most surely see destruction!"

Olivia White slammed a fist onto a metal table, standing from her own seat in response. "I told you both! We should've made a move when we had the chance."

Kitt Ashford quickly responded, trying to quell the dispute brewing. "No need for that. We won didn't we? Can't we all be satisfied with bragging rights? Or, I'm sure LV can make you a trophy if that would make you feel better."

Leonard Valerio looked over at his name being mention, but didn't say anything, ruminating on Luanne's words.

"What do you say, LV? My guy? My main man? Make a plaque with Liv's name on it?"

He removed Kitt's arm which had found itself draped over LV's shoulders, "I work on cars, not trophies. I don't like having to fight Power Rangers."

"Had to go and say that, didn't you?" Kitt asked, backing away to avoid Olivia's incoming warpath.

The girl approached her teammate, "Taking down bad guys comes with the territory, Leonard. You had no problem fighting the monster."

"Monsters aren't people."

"Neither are these Spellbook guys!"

"My protégés, please," Luanne interrupted. "Striking rifts between one another is no way for Power Rangers to act."

"He started it," Olivia accused, finding her seat once again.

Kitt pursed his lips, "I think _I_ might have started that. I apologize, I think."

"I can only help you all in your paths," their master continued, "I won't make the decisions for you. But, I will advise you all that without a common purpose, no set of parts, however extraordinary, can create a functioning machine."

Kitt's eyes tended to wander during such lectures. But, when his eyes caught hold of a clock, he did a double-take. "Ah crap, sorry, Luanne, guys, I've gotta jet, I'm gonna be late for my drama class."

Olivia sighed, "I suppose I legally need an education as well."

LV swung his keyring around his finger, a silent signal that Kitt and Olivia had come to understand as an offer for a ride.

"Think well on my words," Luanne said to them as they left the Observatory, "I will be sure to alert you should Percirado peek his head out once more!"

* * *

 **North San Benno High School**

Scott Dupre sat at his usual table in the cafeteria, joking around with the guys and girls pressed up another for a seat. This crowd's conversation wasn't usually all that interesting, but, he liked the people well enough, even if they were more interested in gossip and rumors than he might've liked.

When Ashlynn Jacobs started to tell a story about last Saturday's party for the third time that lunch period, he had to excuse himself, just to keep from hurling. Nowhere in particular to go and fifteen minutes left in the period, he found himself heading outside to watch the varsity squad in the middle of their baseball practice. They were having some scrimmage against their upstart underclassmen.

The game might've made Scott jealous had he not been so content with his own sport. The pitcher reared up for a high count pitch. Even from outside the diamond, Scott could smell the rookie's apprehension at pitching toward senior slugger.

Before he ever got the chance to throw the pitch, however, a great, loud, brash beat began to play. It grew closer, sounding like boulders smashing against mountains. Every player looked wildly about trying to understand from where it was coming, their search coming up fruitless. That is, until the sound found the players instead.

Bursting through the chain link fence towards left field was something like a humanoid meteor. Dust and metal cleared the way for Scott to get a good look at the beast. It had a long face like a horse's with great bulking limbs and two heavy hooves for feet, clearly the source of that terrifying sound.

The baseball players were paralyzed at the shocking sight of the monster, unable to make any reaction besides an unblinking gaze.

"C'mon!" the monster shouted, in a hoarse masculine voice, "this is an arena, ain't it? Who here wishes to fight Equiddo! All challengers will be accepted! And killed!"

At that threat the athletes had found their feet underneath them, and began a mad dash away from this strange visitor. Scott still looked on for a minute. Everything about this invader was alien and mysterious, but still, he felt an indescribable familiarity towards it. It was as if the monster was something he'd come across before.

A girl's sharp shriek broke him out of his thoughts. He looked over to see the student on her knees, staring horrified at the monster, spurring Scott into action. "Are you okay?" he asked her, trying to pick the girl up from the ground. "We've gotta go! Please, can you stand?"

The girl's eyes were locked on Equiddo, who now noticed both Scott and her.

"Well, I suppose something like a light snack couldn't hurt before my fight!"

Scott was done asking. He squatted down and forcefully lifted the girl off the ground. When he turned to follow in the mass exodus from the baseball field, a figure rushed by him. Scott craned back his head to see a Pearl colored Power Ranger stepping onto the outfield, between him and the monster.

More and more bewildered, he ran back inside the school, putting down the girl. Most students in the hallways had no idea what had been happening outside. Knowing it was the only way he could evacuate the school, he ran over to the white fire alarm switch and slammed it down, setting off a school wide evacuation he hoped would help everyone he wouldn't be able to carry.

The moment he flipped the switch, a girl ran by him, as if instantaneously responding to the blaring bells and horns. Scott did a double-take. Didn't he know her?

Eleanora Anderson burst onto the scene outside the baseball field. Even without Basquille's alert, she'd seen the monster come through from the library, and was running towards the danger even before that boy had thrown the fire alarm. Sure there was no one watching her, Ellie pulled out her Mage Former, inserting her talisman and pressing a single rune on the trinket.

"Owl Incantation, Cast the Spell!"

In the midst of her sprint towards the action, she felt the transformation take place. The familiar pink energy welled up around her, and she took on the form of a Power Ranger.

"Spellbook Pink, Summoned Forth!"

She ran onto the baseball field, taking in the scene. Some unknown Power Ranger was already fighting the monster. Another of those evil Power Rangers, Ellie was sure. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long before Glenn and Boomer showed up to back her up. Lucky for her, there was only one of those Gearwork Rangers this time.

She drew her scepter and entered the fray.

The Pearl Ranger was hardly holding her own against the Awakened Zord. Wielding a pair of daggers, the ranger swiftly darted about the monster to target its weak spots. The only problem being, it didn't seem to have any weak spots that the Pearl Ranger could find.

"Another challenger!" the monster announced, "of course. It would be unthinkable for Equiddo to fall to only a single foe!"

His bare hand came down in a fist for Ellie to swerve out the attack's path, swinging her scepter upwards to deflect the strike.

"Just what I needed, someone to interfere in my fight," the Pearl Ranger spoke. The voice was a bit muffled by the helmet, but definitely seemed feminine to Ellie, unsurprisingly dismissing the Spellbook Ranger.

Ellie flipped her scepter and made a series of jabs against the monster's chest, pushing Equiddo back quite a ways.

"I'm not fighting with you, Gearwork," Ellie simply said, "I'm here to protect innocent lives."

"What the hell's a Gearwork?" the Pearl Ranger asked.

"Um, you?" the Pink Ranger was less convinced of this accusation.

"Data: Wolf! Ranger: Load!" a third voice shouted from behind Pearl and Pink, and both whipped their heads around to see a shining blue light take form into another Power Ranger.

"Gearwork Blue, Fully Operational!"

"I guess that answers that question," Pearl remarked. On closer inspection, Ellie realized that Pearl's suit didn't at all match that of Gearwork Blue's. Her suit had a bronze belt wrapped around her waist, with similarly colored boots on her feet. Her helmet held the runic markings of what seemed to be a Killer Whale. But, there was no emblem on her chest, simply a blank white octagon in the midst of her shining Pearl armor.

"Wait, you're not with any team?" Ellie asked, completely bewildered at this new information.

The ranger scoffed, then joined the next round of fighting, where Blue and Equiddo were already engaged, "The Pearl Ranger works alone!"

Ellie wasn't sure how to take this news. First there had been evil rangers, now there were, what, neutral rangers? How much had slipped Basquille's mind?

" **Pristine Gallop!"** Equiddo shouted, and his ability activated. The Horse monster dashed forward instantly, throwing aside both Blue and Pearl. "My killer technique has never been stopped! Throw a million Power Rangers my way! I'll barrel all of them down!"

The Pearl Ranger closed in on Equiddo all the same, and Ellie was kicked back into gear, remembering the threat this monster posed to the people around her.

"Come on, then!" Equiddo reared back a fist towards Pearl, who only crossed her daggers, ready to cast her own ability.

" **Orca Formation!"** And a panel of water came into being between her and Equiddo, already far too late for the monster to block it. His fist only rang against the water, all the kinetic energy sapped by trying to barrel through it. Pearl instead leapt up, stepping on the panel of water, and leaping above Equiddo.

Leaping over the Awakened Zord, Pearl swung her daggers across, slashing Equiddo in the head, the first attack which seemed to have a tangible impact against the target. He was sent reeling away, his hands clawing at the scratches on his face. Pearl landed deftly on the other side of the monster, quickly turning back to the figure, now more enraged than cocky.

"Cheap shot, girly! Real warriors fight with more honor than that!"

Pearl scoffed at the accusation, "What's so honorable about attacking innocent kids?"

That earned a laugh from Equiddo, "It got your attention, didn't it?" With a great leap, the monster jumped backwards, towards the hole it had entered through. "But, such a stadium is a disappointing setting for my grand return to combat! My next appearance will take place at a far more fitting venue! Until then, Rangers!"

Pearl sheathed her weapons, putting away the daggers before walking off from Blue and Pink.

"Wait!" Olivia called after her. "Who exactly are you? What team are you with?"

The mysterious ranger craned her head back towards the Gearwork Ranger. "All this talk of teams, you and her. Can't a gal just save some lives?"

"How do I know you're not after the talismans?" Olivia continued, taking a few steps towards Pearl. Ellie could only look on, unable to interject between their conversation.

"Oh, there's more to collect?" Pearl asked seriously.

"Don't play coy! If you act against my team and I, I won't take it lightly."

"And what if I did it just to get a rise out of you?" the Pearl Ranger asked, her voice growing irate at the threats. "I've got no horse in this race, so to speak. There was a threat. I fought it off. I don't care for your teams."

"Neutrality isn't an option," Gearwork Blue simply stated.

Ellie stepped in now, growing nervous at the mounting aggression, "Please, there's no need for us to fight over nothing is there?"

"Listen to your friend, there," Pearl advised, jerking a thumb at the Pink Ranger.

"She's not my friend," Olivia corrected her. "That girl and her villains attacked my friends. I'm only making sure I'm not outnumbered before I start my attack."

"What?!" Ellie asked, unaware she was still in combat.

Pearl sighed. "Do what you want, I'm leaving."

"And the next time Equiddo shows up?" Olivia asked.

Pearl paused mid stride, and without turning around simply remarked, "Y'know… I've always wanted a pony," and with that she ran off, disappearing quickly.

"Tch, Pearl's a stupid color anyways," Olivia simply said, before turning to the Spellbook Ranger. "But, not as bad as Pink."

Ellie struggled to stand her ground. She really wanted to run. She wanted to take a step back, or try to talk her way out of the situation. She was about to, until, she saw her own hands. When she looked down, they weren't Eleanora's hands, they were the fists of the Pink Spellbook Ranger. She wasn't supposed to be a kid. She was a hero. And, she'd be damned if she wasn't going to act like it.

"What's your move?" the words weren't Ellie's. They were from some character from some book that she thought was cool. But, even if she could only parrot the line, it would be good enough for now.

As soon as the question was asked, sirens rang out and police cruisers arrived on the scene to investigate. Olivia only needed to see the vehicles to begin to want to back away from Ellie, and begin her own retreat.

"Next time, Pinky, don't show your face in my fight."

Gearwork Blue sped off, running away as well, and Ellie realized how bad it might look for her to be the only Power Ranger present when the cops arrived. She dove back into the high school, running towards the locker room, powering down where there were no cameras. As soon as she did, a cellphone's ringing became clear, and she answered her cell, leaning, exhausted against a wall.

"Ellie! Are you okay? I just saw you on television, I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner," Glenn Wang was frantically saying, "My Mage Former, I left it in my gym bag, are you okay?"

The girl could only laugh at his frantic worrying, sliding down the wall till she was sitting on the cold tile floor. "I'm fine, Glenn. I appreciate the call," she simply said, but was smiling on her end of the conversation.

"I'm surprised Luanne's crooks didn't do anything worse. That Pearl Ranger, was she with them?"

The smile faded to only a sly grin. Glenn's curious nature always seemed to win out over anything else. She wasn't surprised, or even disappointed. "I'll tell you and Boomer the whole story in a little bit. Don't worry too much."

A drawn out sigh came from Glenn side's of the phone call. "'There is nothing that wastes the body like worry,' no?"

Ellie reflected on the words for only a moment before guessing, "Shakespeare, maybe?"

"Not even close, little Owl. Mahatma Gandhi, American schools still talk about him, I hope."

"I'll talk to you and Boomer later."

* * *

 **White Household**

Calvin White's truck pulled up in front of his house. Olivia, his little sister hopped out of the shotgun seat, dragging her backpack along with her. A worried woman came out of the house, wrapping her arms around the teenager tight enough to make her feel like a little girl again.

"You know, I'm fine too, right?" Calvin remarked.

"Oh, you'll get your turn," his mother, Lily said, but invited him into the group hug all the same. "Why do you have to scare your mom like that?" she asked.

"We didn't exactly invite some monster to show up," Olivia said, struggling to find air in her family's embrace.

Lily finally let her kids go, wiping away a burgeoning tear from one of her eyes. "You think I'm worried, just wait until your father gets home."

"I don't think we'll have to wait long," Olivia replied, looking down the street. In that neighborhood, the speed limit was twenty five miles per hour. But, the black four-seater gunning down the road was going at least twice that, leaving skid marks when it rounded the turn towards the house. It made a harsh stop just behind the bed of Calvin's truck, and out emerged a grizzly bear of a man.

Olivia had figured her mother's hug as tight, but it was nothing to the constriction that Richard White forced his kids and wife into. The three were bound tight by the fourth's muscles and hair, silently surviving the attack.

"I'm so glad you kids are save," Richard muttered softly, squeezing them just that much tighter.

"We're safe now, Dad," Calvin replied, making no effort to escape.

Olivia struggled to say, "We were never in any danger, Dad," though it had nothing to with the air this time.

* * *

 **San Benno Forest**

Kitt Ashford was finally free from classes for the day. Once Olivia had given him and LV the scoop on what had happened at the school he'd turned his bike right around. Instead of heading to the observatory for a trip to the Blue Ranger's side, he'd made tracks for the forest on his trick bike.

There, in the serenity untouched by man, he was free to ride across the dirty and roots, swerving around tree trunks and hopping off the molehills he'd sculpted on trips past. He swung the tail end of his bike around, finding the seat just before the wheels touched down to Earth. As much as he loved the pretty sights, Kitt's favorite parts about the ride was the unexpected. For every time he'd ridden across this same venue, it had never been the same twice. He'd be forced to improvise, switch paths on the fly, alter course in a matter of milliseconds and never make a wrong move. No choice could ever feel wrong. It was freedom for him.

"Whooo! Whoa, whoa, whoa!" a foreign voice came from Kitt's right side. He could only chance a quick turn of his head, catching nothing but branches and bushes before he caught sight of the gnarled roots before him. He cut a serpent's road between the emerging oak, stepping up his pace to catch a sight of the invader.

This time, the screaming was prefaced with a flat thump, all to familiar to Kitt, it was rubber to rock, tire to stone. Kitt made the same noise with a bunny hop over one of his molehills. This time, he caught sight of a bright red shirt between two trunks. Kitt dropped off a short cliff, throwing the tail end of his bike to hit a tree and adjust his flight, redirecting the boy, and again shortening the distance between the two riders.

Kitt hadn't the slightest idea when this investigation had turned into a race, but he'd be damned if he'd lose on his home turf. Following the red shirt found him on a mostly clear dirt path. Kitt knew it well, and knew just as well this was the time to kick if he wanted to find this guy. He pulled his rear higher off the seat and swayed the chassis of the bike back and forth, his quads pumped like jet engines and he began throwing his shoulders into the motion of the ride. It was no longer playing around in the forest, Kitt Ashford was dancing through the scenery, green and brown blistering by his vision.

Boomer Erickson hadn't the foggiest clue who this kid behind him was, but he'd be damned if he'd be caught. His goggles clung tight to his face, beads of sweat falling around the panes of glass. Wiping away a sheen of sweat, Boomer turned his head back to see how much distance he'd created between him and pursuer, only to find this kid in green actually managing to catch up to him.

"Not today, Green!" Boomer taunted, laughing all the way. "Not when I shift into Maximum Overdrive!" Such a name had no bearing on Boomer's riding, but he poured more gas into his legs, trying to speed further ahead in this pointless race.

Kitt noted the impressive increase in speed, but sheer effort was nothing against his experience. He'd made every choice in this forest, good, bad, right and wrong. The kid knew every possible and impossible call, route and path. And, even worse, he knew what was quickly approaching.

In a questionable decision, he moved to the outside of the long curve both he and the red rider were moving across, while his invader hugged the inside. It was clear proof he didn't know the lay of the land, and hadn't a clue what was coming. The race was no longer only for kicks, Kitt had to warn this guy before something stupid happened.

Boomer looked back to see Green on the outside of the curve. He laughed softly, keeping steady at his pace. Clearly, this stranger was too scared to stick to the inside of the turn. Doing so was risky, but taking risks didn't mean anything to Boomer. No amount of danger was enough to deter him from doing what he wanted. Right now, what he wanted was to school this kid. But, when he turned back to see the advantage of his inside track, he found Green advancing on him.

Struggling to figure out the key to his progress, Boomer looked at the terrain. The inside track, as he was only then observing was littered with pebbles, rocks and uneven dirty, while the outside looked even as glass. Before he could correct his decision, Green was at Boomer's side.

"The drop off!" Kitt shouted, breathing heavy, "The drop off is coming up! Have you ridden here before?!"

"First time for everything!" Boomer replied with a laugh, not slowing down at the guy's warning.

Kitt knew it. This wannabe daredevil could've fallen to his death had Kitt not caught up to him. "There's a river coming up! It cuts through the forest! You have to be ready to jump it!"

Somehow this did nothing but invite the red rider to accelerate even further. "Let's do it together then! First one to land wins!"

"I've never seen it done like that!" Kitt admitted, "Two bikes at once! I'm not sure the jump is wide enough!"

"Not gonna just let me win like that, are you?"

"I don't know what will happen!"

"Isn't that the fun part?!"

Kitt looked ahead, less than forty yards of dirt was all that remained. This kid was right, right? Forty yards turned to twenty. They'd probably be safe, right? Twenty to ten. It might've been possible for two to jump it at once, right? Ten to five. What could go wrong, right? Five to one. Right? Right? Right?

Boomer soared. He actually flew, free and untethered, over dirt, over seawater, over the Earth. His landing was shoddy, but at least he flew. Kitt clutched at his shoulder, it stung like a mother. With maybe a foot and a half left, Kitt had thrown his bike backwards, himself with it. He could only stagger to his knees and watch the stranger ride off, deeper into the forest. After all, what had he to look back for?

Dusting himself off, Kitt rose from the ground, stuck in thought over what had just transpired. But, his self pity didn't last long, as he quickly heard another sound, like a mechanized beeping. He recognized the signal, and pulled out his Mech Loader just to verify. A monster had come calling.

* * *

 **Downtown, San Benno**

"Now this is more fitting!" Equiddo shouted, running across a city street, clashing with a car only to topple over the vehicle for fun. Dozens of people ran about, evacuating from shops and their jobs to get away from this freak's arrival. "That's right! No cowards are wanted here! Bring me my challengers!"

"Careful what you wish for!" Gearwork Blue shouted, kicking away Equiddo.

"Just a rematch then? Where are you other friends?"

An invisible fist crashed into Equiddo's side, knocking him away, just when a silent LV leapt off the hood of a van to land another kick into the monster's long face. The Awakened Zord stumbled backwards from the combination of attacks to see Gearwork Green's invisibility fade, and the three rangers take up formation with one another.

"Assembled, the Gearwork Rangers!" they shouted in unison, Olivia grinning wildly that the other two had agreed on her idea for a catchphrase.

Equiddo stood up from the asphalt, grumbling something or another about cheap shots and honorable fighting. "I don't care what colors they come in, come at me!" as he issued the challenge, the monster pulled out a jagged spear, clearly ready for the fight. " **Pristine Gallop!"**

LV leapt to the front of the trio. He'd fully remembered Olivia talking about the attack, and wouldn't be letting it touch his teammates. " **Bison Boost!"** he shouted, and graphite energy surrounded the ranger, expanding his muscles and heightening his strength. The horse monster began his march, but was stopped by the fortress of the Graphite Ranger, who held fast against the beast's blinding speed.

Boomer Erickson ran the opposite direction of most people, heading towards the strange monster rather than away from it. "How is it they got here first again?!"

Glenn ignored the question, "That's not exactly the most pressing matter at hand," he simply said, stopping his run once they'd made it through the crowd.

Ellie caught up to them both, breathing much more heavily than the older boys.

"Let's morph, then, we need to get in there too," Glenn ordered, pulling out his Mage Former.

Boomer scoffed at his words, "As if you're our leader. Don't give out commands here, and don't forget who the Red Ranger is here!"

"That monster doesn't care what color we are," Glenn replied. "Would you rather do something besides morph?" he asked sarcastically.

"You know, I was actually thinking I'd take this one on bare-handed!"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Boomer laughed at that, pocketing his Mage Former. "'Ridiculous' is my first, middle, and last name!" and with that completely strange sentence, he ran into the fray of Ranger and Monster just as excitedly as ever.

Glenn seethed, and Ellie could only look on, too intimidated by their personalities to get in the way of the debate. She was about to make a suggestion when Glenn merely raised his Mage Former, resolving to ignore their third teammate. "Hummingbird Incantation, Cast the Spell!"

As copper energy surrounded him, Ellie decided to follow suit, rather than add to the discord within their team. "Owl Incantation, Cast the Spell!"

"Spellbook Copper, Summoned Forth!"

"Spellbook Pink, Summoned Forth!"

The two avian Rangers rushed towards their opponents, little plan between the both of them.

Back towards the battlefield, Kitt's sword barely managed to parry a strike from Equiddo's spear, deflecting the point away from himself. As he did, a voice yelled out in surprise, and some figure slid underneath the point of the spear, a leg swinging about to connect with the monster's leg. The kick was able to connect, but, nothing happened.

Gearwork Green looked down to identify this attacker to see a completely normal human.

"Oh right," he said, "no Power Ranger super strength."

"Ha!" Equiddo barked, "just a mere human. What a foolish fighter!" With the accusation, he threw down his spear, looking to skewer the vulnerable person, only for Kitt to throw aside his sword and catch the spear, halting the thrust before it could pierce the young man below.

"Run! I can't hold it for long! Don't know what will happen!" Kitt tried to warn him. But, it only elicited a laugh from the kid below his feet.

"Isn't that the fun part?!"

Kitt couldn't believe the voice he heard utter those words. Hadn't he heard that somewhere before?

Boomer rolled out from under the blade of the spear and threw a punch at Equiddo, only for the human fist to be easily dodged. Gearwork Blue and Graphite came from behind, with Graphite shouting out, "Auxiliary Data: Load! Polymerization!"

Blue energy swirled around the ranger, collecting together before he used his combined ability, " **Lupine Ravager!"** and claws of blue energy grew from the ranger's fingers and feet, the two color's reflecting a clear boost in LV's power. He struck with intense impact, repeatedly attacking Equiddo with slashes of blistering speed and strength, pushing back the monster.

"Sorcery Fusion! Double Soul!" Glenn took both his and Ellie's talismans for the ability, preparing to use his own combination attack to remedy the mess Boomer had made. " **Humming Sight!"** and for Glenn, time seemed to slow down to a crawl. Even the swift attacks of Gearwork Graphite seemed frozen in the air to his eyes. But, Glenn's own eyes were able to perceive what was happening, and map out every object, every obstacle to his target. He would not fail this challenge. All he needed was the time to figure out an answer. This ability was his opportunity.

In only a few moments, he felt he had it. For everyone else, it was as if nothing had happened after Spellbook Copper called his skill. But, the ranger immediately made a beeline for Gearwork Green. Equiddo had been sent to the ground with Graphite's flurry of attacks, and Blue was poised to finish the job with her sword drawn. Glenn made a great jump, first off the ground, then off of Gearwork Green's shoulder, rising high above the fight.

He remembered how reluctant Green had been to fight against their team, and knew he was a safe bet to use for his movement. Once, in the air, Glenn threw down his scepter, sticking it in the ground at just the angle to block Blue's oncoming sword strike, and with the momentum of his fall he brought down his heel onto Graphite's shoulder, hoping to call away his attention, and those troublesome claws.

With a single move, Glenn had captured the attention of their entire team. Green was frozen, without an idea of what to do. But, Graphite and Blue knew just where they had to turn their attention, but unfortunately, the former of them, Boomer had stood up from his slide, and wrapped his arms around Gearwork Graphite, holding him in place, leaving only one Blue Ranger to advance upon Glenn's position. Which was, of course, something the Copper Ranger had accounted for.

From her initial charge, Ellie knew exactly where she was headed, and Gearwork Blue had never left her sights. She swung her scepter over head, forcing Olivia to raise her sword and block the attack. Everything had gone according to Glenn's predictions, even Boomer's grab seemed to be particularly effective, as Gearwork Graphite was reluctant to use his powers against a vulnerable human stranger.

The only thing he couldn't have accounted for was Kitt Ashford's change of heart. After seeing the red biker out in the field, he realized this total stranger had more courage than him. Some villain had more agency and willingness to fight than Kitt did, and such a realization hurt for a moment. But, no longer than that. Kitt couldn't go back and change his decision in the forest, but, he could change what he would do right then and there.

Gearwork Green raised his sword high, and swung with all his might, slicing cleanly across the monstrous form of Equiddo, just managing to stand back up again. With a bone-chilling scream, Equiddo reeled from the strike, falling to his knees and dissolving into a dark, violet mist. When the monster had dissipated, all that was left was a gold talisman, just like the one all six Power Rangers possessed. As soon as it dropped to the pavement, he picked up the trinket, holding it high.

"We got the Talisman!" he announced, and the other five figures could only turn to look at Kitt. "So, uh…" he wasn't at all sure what to say at that point. He hadn't planned past hitting the monster with his sword.

"So, there's nothing more we need here! Get us out of here, Luanne!"

At that request, the Gearwork Ranger's devices began to glow in their respective colors. Glenn realized his plan had completely fallen apart at the seams. "Don't let them escape!" was all he could manage to shout before the three other rangers were transmitted in bursts of energy, escaping the situation.

Boomer was holding onto nothing, still slowly trying to piece together what had happened.

"Wait…" he said, the realization coming to him at a snail's pace. "We lost… again?!"

* * *

 **Character Credits:**

Pearl Power Ranger - _HiroshitheHawk_

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of 'Factions!' And the first official monster slaying of the series as well, congrats to the Gearwork kids for pulling out the first official win! I apologize this one didn't come out as fast as I would have liked! I'll do my best to tighten the update cycle as things go forward, but know that there's no official release schedule. I hope you guys stick around for the next chapter as well!

 **Review Responses:** QotC (Question of the Chapter): What's your favorite depicted ability so far? I'm not even close to having shown them all off, but gimme your thoughts on the powers so far!

 _Arctic4Queen:_ I'm so glad to hear I got Olivia down, hopefully that trend continues. I'll try to make the wait more bearable for next chapter!

 _Ahkalia:_ Especially since this was a pretty Kitt heavy chapter, lemme know if there were any failures this time around with him. I'm relieved to know it worked out last time.

 _Sir Perfluous:_ Thanks for the response! There's a lot more info to come in the next few chapters as well. But, the worldbuilding and character cast are only planned to expand from here on in.

 _AndreasJ:_ Hope this chapter inspired the same level as hype as the last one. Let me know if Glenn stayed in character this time around as well!

 _fantastic rhapsody:_ I so apologize for getting his name wrong there! The mistake has been corrected. Backstories will come sparingly, but, for now, I don't wanna spend too much time on the past.

I really appreciate the Reviews! Please consider letting me know what you think of the work. It really is the biggest source of motivation outside of my own passion for storytelling, and, I'm always interested to know what you guys have to say. Until next time!


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